Connected by Chains
by RimaAfterlife
Summary: Kurapika has long been searching for the girl who had saved his life. . . and after so many years, he finally finds her during the hunter exams. . . however, this girl has a very deep connection to the man Kurapika hates the most in the world. . . story on unofficial hiatus.
1. Connected by Chains : Prologue

_Disclaimer:I don't own Hunter x Hunter, but I absolutely love it!_

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_Rima: Hope you enjoy this little fanfic! I've recently gotten obsessed with Hunter X Hunter, (_why_ did the manga stop…) and came up with a fic for it so… tell me what you think!_

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**Connected by Chains : Prologue**

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The night was warm and dark.

The stars sparkled overhead while the moon shone it's silvery light over the trres and rooftops of the hidden Kurata village. The village below the celestial bodies was quiet, its inhabitants sleeping peacefully in their beds.

They were clueless of their fate.

The famous Kurata clan is distinguished for the legendary brilliance of their eyes that turn scarlet when they are traversed by a violent feeling, as if they were on fire. Such a color, with its brightness, is dubbed one of the seven most beautiful in the world. This caused it to have high demand as a collector's treasure. That is also the reason why they reside in this secluded area in the Lukuso province, where no one but a handful has knowledge about the location.

Unfortunately for the clan members, it's going to be the end for them.

A young girl barely ten years of age walked through the village. She was obviously not a Kurata, with her long, ebony-colored hair and bright ice-blue eyes. A long dark cloak was wrapped around her shoulders and her hair fluttered with each step.

Her luminous eyes scanned the village. Her brother had forbidden her from joining the brigade's mission, so here she was now strolling along the streets, looking for anything interesting.

The noise started.

Screams and yells filled the air as the Kurata clan fell under the hands of the thieves attacking their village. The young girl casually ducked into a narrow alley as a horde of people rushed by, carrying torches and weapons, running towards the source of commotion. They were running towards certain death.

The girl stood in the alley, watching the futile resistance the Kurata clan was putting up as the brigade purged on. She watched the blood spill to the ground, carcasses landing with loud thuds, horrible shrieks from the villagers as their lives were put to an end. Any child, much more a girl, would either run away in terror at the scene or would be traumatized for life at the carnage currently going on.

But not this girl.

"YOUU!"

The girl looked around, distracted. A blond man, carrying a large axe, was pointing an accusing finger at her. His eyes were bulging and mad. His clothes were bloody and ripped in so many places, and there was a deep gash across his cheek.

"YOOUUUU!" He yelled again, his voice cracking. He raised his axe.

The girl stared at him, completely calm. Slowly, she raised her hand. Her eyes glinted.

BLAM.

The man was ruthlessly slammed to the left wall of the alley by a huge hand. Blood splattered on the girl. The axe fell out of the man's hand. He was dead.

"Oops. Got carried away. Looks like the eyes are a goner now." The owner of the gigantic hand peered into the alley and grinned."Hey, Clio. Didn't know you were hiding in there."

"I'm not hiding." Clio scowled. "And I didn't need your help, Uvogin." She dropped her hand.

"Ooh… Sorry." Uvogin laughed raucously. "I forgot, Danchou told you not to join in, didn't he?" His spiky blond hair shook as he laughed. He was an expert in annoying the young girl.

"Uvo, one of these days I am really going to kill you."

"Heh." Uvogin stopped laughing and smirked. "I'd like to see you try. Well, still got some work here, y'know. See ya later."

Clio watched, still frowning, as Uvogin leapt out of sight. She surveyed her surroundings. The Kuratas were fighting a losing battle. They were no match for the thieves. The screaming reached its peak and the ground was dyed red.

She heard footsteps.

Clio turned around and saw a boy limping towards her. He was a little older than her, maybe eleven or twelve, and he was badly wounded. His face was scratched and his brilliant red eyes that shone in the dark were dazed. His hand clutched at the wound at his side, the other holding onto the wall for support. He lost his footing, stumbled, and fell on top of Clio.

Clio was so surprised that she wasn't able to react immediately.

The boy was breathing hard, his face over Clio's shoulder, and coughed blood. Clio struggled to get out from under the boy to sit up, being smaller. She glanced into the street behind her where the massacre was still going on.

"_This one probably survived the first wave of the attack_." She thought.

Without thinking about it, Clio stood up and dragged the boy back into the shadows of the alley. She sat down again and arranged his head on her lap and studied his eyes, one of which was closed in pain, the other gazing in a disoriented manner at her face. In the dim light she could see that it was still in its scarlet state.

"So it really is a beautiful color." Clio muttered, charmed despite herself. Her blue eyes scanned the whole face of the boy. "It's such a pity that such eyes will have to float forever in jars… How about I let you live?" She brushed back the blond locks of the boy with her fingers and sent it tumbling over his head. "I think it'll be a lot prettier if the eyes belonged to a living being, don't you think?" She asked.

The boy started coughing blood again, apparently in too much pain to understand what Clio was saying. His hand fell away from his side, revealing a deep, bloody gash from wherein blood was flowing profusely. Clio frowned. Finally deciding on an action, she raised her hand.

Thin, thread-like strings that glowed blood red snaked up her arm and danced along her fingertips. Clio directed the strings towards the boy's wounds, and immediately, it stitched up his many cuts and the deep gash, completely stopping the bleeding.

The boy's breathing hitched, still ragged, but steadier. Satisfied, Clio laid the boy's head on the ground and stood up. It looked like he had passed out.

She looked across the street. The sudden blazing light told her that her companions had set fire on the houses. Apparently the brigade has acquired what they had come here for: the Kurata clan's scarlet eyes.

Clio glanced at the boy still out cold on the ground. He didn't look close to regaining consciousness. If she left him there as he is, he'll probably die from the fire.

Sighing, she removed the cloak from her shoulders. For a second, it glowed with an electric-blue light, and then died down. She threw it over the boy, hiding him from view. Clio watched for a few moments as the cloak changed color, blending with the ground. Then she turned away, walking towards the mouth of the alley.

"Clio."

Clio looked up. Framed by the alley's narrow walls, with the flames behind him as a backdrop, was a tall, young man. He was wearing a long, fur-collared trench coat and his onyx eyes glittered in the firelight as he smiled tenderly at Clio.

"Onii-san!"

Clio ran up to the young man enthusiastically, who placed a hand on her soft, black hair that matched his.

"I think we should go home now, don't you think?"He asked the young girl fondly, ruffling her hair.

"Yes!"

The young man set his hand on Clio's shoulder and guided her away from the alley. Clio followed him into the street cheerfully without so much as a backward glance at the boy she had just saved.

"The others are waiting."

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_Rima: So, what do you think? Review please! ^^_


	2. Connected by Chains : Link 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Hunter x Hunter, but I'm totally addicted to it! Three cheers!_

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_Thank you for the reviews, guys! If there's one thing I really like, those are reviews. Yeah, you inspired me. So now here's the next chapter. If you keep on reviewing, I'll update faster! :D_

_Oh, I almost forgot, by Uvogin in the last chapter, I did mean Ubogin. They're the same big guy. ^w^ if you spell Uvogin in Japanese it becomes Ubogin… I'm also gonna use Chrollo for Kuroro in this story too… :)_

_Enjoy!_

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**Connected by Chains: Link 1**

A seventeen year old boy woke up with a start. He wrenched his eyes open, breathing hard, as though he had been running. He sat up quickly in his bed, drenched in sweat, his blond hair plastered to his forehead.

He'd been dreaming about that fragment of his past yet again. He pulled his knee up and covered his face with his hand, taking deep breaths. Five years and he can still remember that face…

The girl with the luminous eyes… Mystifying eyes that were the only thing visible of her in the darkness, reflecting the silvery moonlight and glowing. Her other features hidden by the darkness, but her eyes continuing to sparkle.

The boy shook his head slightly, letting out a small groan. Remembering her made him remember everything that happened that dreadful night... He braced himself as it all rushed back to him:

Sudden screams that woke them up from sleep; bursting through the door in panic; carcasses on the ground, blood flowing; running away, seeking refuge; something hitting the side of his body just below his ribs, the sharp, intense pain that he could still feel today, although no trace of the wound remained. Falling to the ground, desperately trying to gather his thoughts to stand up and escape; stumbling into an alley, hoping madly that they wouldn't catch him.

The girl... Watching him, a long dark cloak shrouding her body, framed by walls, blocking his way to what he thought was safety. Stumbling, and being aware that although he had fallen onto something soft, the pain in his body still doubled and his mind was screaming... being pulled back the way he came from, lying on his back, his body numb with all the pain. A soft touch on his forehead, beautiful eyes, a flash of her face and... Nothing.

Long hours spent thinking about her had made him come to a conclusion that she was no mirage, brought about by his dazed and weakening mind. She was real. But where had she come from? She was not a Kurata, no; he had never seen her before in his whole life. But what was she doing there? There, at the night of the massacre? She couldn't have been a spider; no spider could be that young. If she_ was_ a spider, then why did she save him? Everyone else in the village had been killed. And he was sure she had saved him.

His head ached of thinking. He's going to find that girl, yes, and find out the truth. About everything. He would do that, for sure, right after exacting his revenge for his brothers, and getting back their eyes. He's going to find her. He has to find her.

The boy stood up shakily and walked towards a small table standing beneath the only window. He reached for the pitcher set there poured water into a cup, hoping it would calm his nerves. He looked up. The moon was visible from the window, it was full and surrounded by a halo of clouds. It shone its silvery light over the rooftops of the neighbouring houses, and once again he was reminded of the night of the massacre.

He shook his head, heaving a deep sigh. He couldn't be like this...

After all, the Hunter exam is coming up.

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Hundreds of miles away, a chase is happening through the rooftops of Meteor City.

The girl being chased was wearing a long, dark blue robe over her clothes, with a deep hood that hid her face. She jumped with extreme agility from roof to roof, with half a dozen grown men wearing black suits and silver masks at her heels. The girl glanced behind her, and, with a wicked grin, raised her arm. For a fraction of a second it glowed with purple light, and she swung it in a wide arc.

At the wake of her swing, dozens of daggers materialized out of thin air. They flew toward the masked men, hitting them on the forehead, on the chest, on the side of their faces. Blood spilled. The every single man dropped to the ground like flies knocked out of the air. The girl stopped.

She heaved a deep sigh. "Well, that's them taken care of…" She muttered to herself exasperatedly, looking at the fallen bodies staining the ground with crimson-coloured blood. "That's what they get for being so persistent, even following me here…" another dagger appeared in her hand, and she threw it to her far left, where one man was still alive, having been out of the line of fire since he had been left behind by his comrades in terms of speed. He had been trying to escape unnoticed. The dagger hit him in the back of the head and he fell to the ground like a stone.

A long blade appeared, pointed at the girl's neck.

"Declare yourself and your purpose in this city." A gruff voice spoke. "Answer in five seconds or we'll kill you." It said in a voice full of menace.

Two men had suddenly arrived, so quietly and swiftly that the girl, distracted, hadn't noticed them approach her. The one who had spoken was a tall man standing in front of her, wearing a strange pharaoh outfit. The other man who was pointing the long, narrow sword at her neck was shorter, wearing a black bandit's outfit, a piece of cloth marked by a skull covering his mouth.

Impatiently, the girl pushed the sword away.

"Stupid. It's me, Clio." The girl said pulling back her hood and revealing long, silky jet-black hair. A lock was separated at the left side, framing her pretty face. Full bangs swept to the side also came into view, together with sharp, luminous ice-blue eyes that glittered in the moonlight.

"Oh, Clio." The pharaoh guy said, with just the least bit of surprise in his voice. The sword was lowered. "It's you. What have you been up to this time?" He glanced at the dead men lying on the ground.

Clio grinned mischievously. "Guess what. Anyway, sorry for causing such a mess, Phinks, Feitan."

"Nah, its fine." Phinks, the pharaoh guy, said. He leapt off the roof. Feitan – the guy with the sword – and Clio followed him. "Someone can just come and clean up later.

They started walking down the deserted streets. Overhead, the moon shone with silvery light, a halo of clouds encircling it.

"You know, it was really stupid of you not to recognize me." Clio said conversationally as they walked. "I take it as an insult." She teased.

"Your Zetsu's almost perfect." Feitan mumbled, walking next to her. "Besides, your clothing's weird." He smirked.

"Says who." Clio shot back, eyeing Feitan's dark clothes with a sarcastic smile.

"Says me." Feitan replied.

"Who cares about what you say?"

"I do."

"I don't."

"Shut up, both of you." Phinks cut in, even though he knew that this type of conversation was normal for the two. They were both just looking for a reason to fight each other, and whenever they succeed, a mess follows.

Both Clio and Feitan smirked.

"Ooh…" Clio muttered. "The pharaoh's affected…"

"Strange clothing's the word." Feitan added in his subdued voice.

"We're here." Phinks announced, trying to ignore, with difficulty, his companions' jeering. The last thing he wanted was to get drawn into a senseless argument.

They had reached the end of the street, in a particularly dilapidated area of the city where there were fewer structures. Turning right, they could see the entrance to a huge, broken down and seemingly abandoned warehouse. Phinks approached the door, which resembled one you would use on a bank vault. He set his hand on it, and after a moment it swung open without making a sound.

"Who changed the door?" Clio asked in a low voice out of the corner of her mouth as they stepped into the building.

"Franklin." Feitan answered. "He said it would be more dramatic. You can only open the door with nen and… well, Danchou agreed in the end, so…"

Clio shook her head in amusement, a smile curving her lips.

The trio walked down the long, dimly lit corridor, their footsteps echoing on the worn concrete. Although the place looked deserted on the outside, it was clearly inhabited once you see the inside. Dim lighting flickered along the ceiling at lengthy intervals, making the place look like a hideout for criminals, which it was.

The group emerged on top of a flight of stairs. Looking down, there was a vast space littered with crates and boxes. Sitting, leaning or sleeping on them, were a group of assorted people. They all looked up as the trio emerged.

"Whoa, look, it's Clio!" A guy leaning against the side of a crate straightened up at the sight of the girl. He was wearing an Edo era outfit with a sword at his side. "Who else could have brought a horde of strangers into the city? With quite powerful presences too."

"They wouldn't take the hint and stop following me." Clio replied indifferently, reaching the bottom of the stairs. She walked towards the man, looking around. "Where's onii-san, Nobu?"

"He's talking with Kortopi and Franklin about the upcoming mission." Nobunaga Hazama replied. "Just wait for a bit. They should be nearly finished by now."

"Mission?"

"So, mind telling us what you've been up to this time?" Phinks asked, coming up from behind Clio and setting a hand on her shoulder. "I must say, I'm getting rather weary of guessing, since my guesses are usually quite far from what you've really done."

A couple or so laughed. Clio gave a wry grin. She looked around and saw that most of the group were coming over to the area where she, Phinks and Nobunaga were standing.

"Dare I say that I think I'm getting quite the 'warm' reception here?" She teased, amused.

"Well, you hardly ever visit. Let's just say that everybody missed you." A tall, busty woman wearing a business suit said – Pakunoda.

Clio gave a laugh. In a seemingly weightless movement, she leaped up to sit on top of a crate ten feet off the ground, joining the brown-haired boy already sitting there – Shalnark. She looked down and grinned playfully. "Okay then… Let me start the thrilling tale about my exciting little adventures…"

"I got this job from my employer – who by the way I could totally swear resembles a wild boar – where he wanted me to steal a very precious, sparkly little tiara, supposed to give supernatural powers, from a guarded tower owned by one really influential social arbiter. So, I went to do it." Clio started, speaking in a tone that suggested that she was talking to a group of five-year-olds. "I managed to retrieve the tiara, although quite a few guards tried to block me. Then –"

"How many guards were there?" Uvogin suddenly cut across her, smirking. The gigantic blond man had been napping when Clio arrived, but now he was awake and listening to the story.

"Oh, I don't know…" The girl answered vaguely. "Maybe a hundred or so…"

Everyone laughed. Clio waved her hand impatiently, wanting to get it over with her story.

"Okay, so, on my way out, there were a few more guards," There was another shout of laughter. "And… Well… things got a bit… boring... I got the tiara too easily… And it doesn't even really give any sort of power; it just has nen imbedded in it that kills who ever wears it. So, I destroyed it!" Clio declared proudly, beaming.

"You did what?!" Phinks said, trying to look outraged, but smirking.

"I destroyed it. Right in front of the old boar's face. It was useless, and he didn't deserve it; he didn't even know what he was getting into. I did him a huge favour. Besides, I already got my pay." Clio said, the wicked smile on her face widening. "End of story!" She announced.

"And those guys chasing you were?" A blue-haired lady standing behind Phinks piped up, her arms crossed – Machi.

"I'm not sure... I think they were the old boar and tower owner's guards. In any case, they were definitely chasing me." Clio replied, beaming.

"Combined? But they were just half a dozen." Feitan said from the crate he was sitting on.

"Half a dozen and you couldn't get rid of them until you reached the city? What's happened to you?!" Uvogin yelled, and he laughed raucously at the girl.

"Shut up, Uvo." Clio replied in a bored, flat voice. She turned back to Feitan, smile back in place. "It was fun being chased, you know. And by the way, that was the last group."

"Last group?" Pakunoda interrupted, obviously confused.

"I might have finished off four or five groups following me before I got here." Clio answered. She tilted her head, looking thoughtful. "Hmm… Those guys were what were left of the last batch. I made sure of that."

There was a pause, then Uvogin laughed boisterously again. Phinks, Nobunaga and Shalnark joined in. Pakunoda sighed, shaking her head, a slight smile playing at her lips.

"You sure have a knack in getting into trouble." Uvogin sniggered.

"It's amazing you're not dead yet. Quite an achievement, really." Pakunoda said exasperatedly, smiling.

"You should consider missions more carefully. Make sure they're not boring before you take them. Otherwise you're just wasting your time and energy." Shalnark advised Clio, grinning.

"Hey, the pay was high!" Clio retorted, grinning too, trying to look defensive but failing.

"And you destroyed what your employer wanted you to take." Phinks smirked.

"It was for saving his life. Someone like him would have died instantly just by holding the tiara." Clio shot back, smile still in place.

They laughed again.

"I'd better go to Danchou, tell him you're here." Machi said. "They're taking quite long." Clio nodded readily. The woman turned and started walking towards the end of the warehouse. Then she paused. She looked back at Clio and tossed her a pouch from her pocket. Clio caught it, surprised.

"What's this?" She asked, opening the zipper curiously.

"Black contact lenses."Machi replied.

"Huh?" She took out a lens case and a small bottle of solution.

"Didn't you say last time that you're wondering what would it look like if you had black eyes like Danchou's? So I bought you those."

"Err… Did I?" She couldn't remember. Or even when she last visited the troupe. It might have been during one of their missions. "Oh… well, thanks." Clio said, not wanting to offend Machi. She placed the lens case and the bottle back in the pouch.

Machi nodded, and walked away.

"Black eyes huh. That's something new." Phinks said.

"You're gonna look weird in it." Uvogin declared confidently.

"I think I'm going to try it later." Clio said, ignoring the irritating blond man. "By the way, what do you mean by the mission that Nobu mentioned a while ago?" she asked.

"Oh, that. We're having a new one at York New city. It's an auction." Nobunaga said.

"Auction?" Clio asked, raising an eyebrow. She looked at Pakunoda.

"It's a ten-day auction at York New City." Pakunoda explained. "There are thousands of official auction houses, plus the black market auctions that'll handle the illegal items. There're going to be more than a hundred lots per auction house, which we're planning to steal. It's got the backing of the mafia community, along with their so called 'ten godfathers'. It'll start on September 1. "

"Oh... I've never heard of that one before. Where did you find out about it?" Clio asked, mildly impressed. She looked around at them.

"Well, someone here's just got a Hunter license." Phinks smirked, nodding his head toward the boy sitting beside Clio.

Clio turned to look at Shalnark, who suddenly looked smug.

"You stole one?" Clio asked curiously, in all innocence. "From who?"

Shalnark's brow creased in sudden frustration. "Of course not! I passed the exam!"

"Oh, is that so? That's nice." Clio replied blandly. She looked at the others, who were all laughing.

Shalnark cleared his throat. "As I know you know, Hunters are elite people who are given special licenses to travel around the world and do almost everything, like tracking down secret treasures, rare beasts, or people." He explained. "By getting a license I can freely travel to other countries easily. I immediately have connections to high-ranking people, and I get easy access to exclusive information. I even get free access to public services! I also get access to the Hunter website. That's where I got the information about the auction. It's a huge benefit for the troupe. I already have full details about it using the site." He said.

"Oh... Okay." Clio muttered, looking mildly interested. Then suddenly she looked thoughtful. "Access to exclusive information?...Hmm...That sounds interesting..."

"Are you going to take the exam? The next one's coming up." Shalnark asked the girl eagerly.

"Really?" Clio asked. "When?" The boy grinned.

"Well, it should be on the first week of January... The _exact_ date's not really announced. It's part of the challenge. If you manage to get to the place where the exam takes place, then you're considered qualified. " He explained.

"Oh... Is that so... hmm… It should be easy, then. Well, it's probably a piece of cake, since someone like you passed it." Clio said.

Shalnark laughed. "I wouldn't say that, if I were you. Hundreds die or fail in the exam every year." He said. "Even the newbie, Hisoka, had to take it quite a few times. He's trying again this year." He smirked.

Clio stared at Shalnark. "He probably broke some rule, didn't he? Maybe he killed a judge and that got him disqualified? I'm guessing killing judges isn't allowed." She saw the surprised expression on Shalnark's face and grinned. "I know by your smirk." Shalnark laughed again.

"It's still not a piece of cake. You won't pass it easily." He grinned too. "It's not like you're just going to sit down and answer a piece of paper with a pencil."

"A billion that I'll pass it easily?" Clio challenged, daring Shalnark.

"Three billion that you'll get cuts and bruises." The boy answered.

"Cuts and bruises?" Clio asked, a bit confused.

"A fracture is too much to hope for." Shalnark explained. "You'll pass, I know."

Clio laughed. "Five that I won't get a single one then. Deal?"

"Deal. You can't heal it if you get one. We'll make Paku check." Shalnark told the girl. Pakunoda laughed in agreement.

"Okay then!" Clio agreed.

"Hey. I bet five billion that Clio will use nen." Phinks joined in. Clio stared at him.

"You think I'm that weak?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You'll be tempted, you'll see. The deal includes zetsu. Or any other form of nen. You can't use it to get to the exam site or whatever, either." Phinks smirked.

"Fine." Clio said. "I'll show you."

"Five billion she won't use nen." Feitan joined in.

"Deal. Paku will check who won." Phinks declared. He looked at the woman, who nodded.

"You're on."

A door set at the back of the warehouse opened. Clio looked up at the same time as the others did.

The leader of the Phantom Troupe, Chrollo Lucifer, was walking towards them. Following him was Machi, the huge Franklin, and the tiny Kortopi. Chrollo was wearing his long, fur-collared leather trench coat, his hair combed back over his head. The cross-shaped tattoo on his forehead stood out in contrast against his white skin and his onyx eyes glittered. He smiled at the gathering, his dark eyes immediately landing on the girl sitting on top of the crate. His smile widened.

Clio leapt down from the crate happily, grinning. Her brother.

"Danchou! Took you long enough. Clio here was getting impatient." Phinks said, smirking and cocking his head towards the girl.

Clio stuck her tongue out at Phinks. Chrollo chuckled good-naturedly. Clio walked towards him and he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll continue talking about the mission later. Franklin, Kortopi, update the others about what we've discussed about so far." Chrollo told them. The two men nodded. Chrollo bobbed his head in approval. Then he turned around and steered Clio away from the troupe.

The siblings walked next to each other towards Chrollo's room in comfortable, contented silence. The troupe watched them disappear, then turned away and started discussing about the auction.

"So, how was the job?" Chrollo asked, smiling, when he and Clio were inside the room. He closed the door quietly behind him.

Clio paused, then her face quickly became passive. "No luck..." She answered. "Neither my employer nor the social arbiter I stole from was one of them..."

Chrollo smiled gently and ruffled Clio's hair fondly. "Don't worry. There's always next time."

"I know." Clio replied. Although she didn't show it, Chrollo knew she was disappointed. Her eyes showed it.

Chrollo smiled and wrapped his arms around Clio tenderly. The girl buried her face in his chest. This was a side of her she only ever showed to her brother.

"You still really want to find those people do you? It's not going to be very easy, especially on your own..."

"I know, onii-san... But I've managed to find one, haven't I?..."

"I know…" Chrollo set his chin on her head. "You still don't want my help, do you?" He asked after a pause.

"No." Clio mumbled against his clothes. "You know I have to do it myself, onii-san. I _want_ to do it myself."

"Hn…" It quite pained Chrollo that he couldn't help his beloved sister. But he knew he had to respect her decision. She made them so rarely, after all. He buried his face in her hair.

They stood like that for a time, then Chrollo gave his sister a short squeeze and pulled away. Otherwise he knew he'll never let go of her for the rest of the day. His hands stayed on her shoulders.

Clio stared into her brother's dark eyes, then suddenly reached up and buried her hands in Chrollo's hair.

"I like it better when your hair's not like that." Clio scolded, grinning, playfully ruffling her brother's hair. She started rumpling it so that it came out from its combed-back state.

Chrollo laughed, letting his sister do as she wanted. When she was finally satisfied, his hair hung limp over his forehead, untidy and falling down the sides of his face.

"That's better!" Clio declared, pleased with her work. Chrollo reached up to feel his hair, chuckling at its scruffy state.

"So, what are you planning to do now?" He asked, content that his sister had cheered up. His hands stopped feeling his hair and slipped into his coat pockets.

"I'm taking the Hunter exam!" Clio declared happily. She beamed.

Chrollo regarded his sister, a smile on his face. "Really? What for?" He walked leisurely towards the couch standing against the wall and sat down.

"Shalnark and me made a bet on it."

Chrollo chuckled. "I know it's not just that… You don't need a Hunter's license."

"What?!" Clio tried to look outraged. "What do you mean I don't need it?! It's money, prestige, and connections all in one go!"

Chrollo merely laughed again.

"Hunters are elite people who are given special licenses to travel around the world and do almost everything, like tracking down secret treasures, rare beasts, or people." Clio started exclaiming, gesturing dramatically, and imitatingShalnark's words. Chrollo laughed at her again. "They're people who are ready to risk their lives to find rare and precious objects, or are hired, and such. By getting a license I get a load of advantages. I can visit other countries easily, and I get access to the Hunter website. It's a huge benefit!"

Chrollo grinned, chuckling. He looked at Clio expectantly, waiting for the real explanation. Clio saw him staring at her, and dropped her hands. Her face became serious.

"Hunters… get access to exclusive, valuable information easily. They get connections to high-ranking, important people, just because of their title."

Chrollo paused. Slowly he looked up at his sister, the smile on his face becoming tender. He leaned back on the couch. "I see... So you're going to use it to look for them?" The look in Clio's eyes said yes.

The trench coat rustled as Chrollo held out his arm to Clio. The girl walked to him with no hesitation. She sat down and curled up beside him on the couch, pulling her knees up under her chin, wrapping her arms around her legs, and leaning her head against his chest. Chrollo wrapped his arm around her shoulders, his trench coat fanning around them. "If that's the case, I won't try to stop you."

"Thank you, nii-san." Clio mumbled. She gave a small gave her a soft, affectionate squeeze.

"I wonder why I never thought about getting a hunter license before…" Clio said in a small, curious voice.

"Well, maybe it wasn't your time yet." Chrollo answered. Then he chuckled at his own words.

"How old-fashioned." Clio muttered. Chrollo laughed.

"Onii-san... I'll meet up with you and your troupe at York New... Is that okay? After the exam, I mean." She turned and grinned up at her brother. "Don't worry; I won't butt in with your mission."

Chrollo laughed again. "Of course." He leaned his rumpled hair gently against Clio's head.

"Yay!... Just one thing left to do, then…"

Clio closed her ice-blue eyes. She leaned back against her brother. For a moment they both felt as if they were the only ones existing in the world.

"I'm taking the Hunter exam."

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_There you are! Extra-long after the long wait. ^^ Reviews please! :))_

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_I'll update faster next time! :D (_If _I get a lot of reviews! Nyahahahaha! XD)_


	3. Connected by Chains : Link 2

_Hey there!_

_So, I'vedecided to change/edit chapter two. . ._

_Because I wasn't contented with it and it kept bugging me. So, to those who've already read it, expect a new one soon, and to those who haven't yet, I hope you'll enjoy the new one I'll be publishing soon._

_As soon as I can. :DD hehehehe_

_And don't forget to make a review for it too!_

_Thanksto those who read this fanfic and most especially to those who review!  
_

_I love you guys! XDD 3_


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